Protected shoe and method of making the same



'EPWEIL PROTECTED SHOE AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 26, 1920. 1,373,157.

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Patented Mar. 29, 1921.

UNITED STATES EMIL- WEIL, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

PROTECTED SHOE AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME.

. Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 29, 1921.

Application filed May 26, 1920. Serial No. 384,365.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EMIL -Warn, a citizen of the United States, andresident of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, haveinvented an Improvement in Protected Shoes and Methods of Making theSame, of which the following description, in connection with theaccompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawingsrepresenting l1ke parts.

My present invention is an improved boot or shoe, having awear-resisting protector concealed within the shoe at the point desiredto be protected, together with a novel method of building the shoe andincorporating such protector and a new protectlng device for thispurpose.

In the manufacture of boots and shoes, it has been customary heretoforeto apply heel protectors, of various forms, shapes and sizes, inaddition to the heel nails, such protectors being additional nails,pronged dc-.

vices of various shapes, circlets. etc., but it has been the universalpractice, so far as I am aware, to drive such protectingdevices into theshoe after the shoe is otherwise completed. Owing to the unsightlyappearance and somewhat rough manner 1n which these protecting devicesare attached they have usually been limited to application at the heel.Some attempts have been made to pro tect the toe portion by driving insimilar devices, but these have also been applied after the shoe hasbeen otherwise built and have been simply afiixed to the sole. Owing tothe difficulty of attaching such protectors at places other than theheel, because of the thinnessof the sole, it has been heretoforesuggested to afiix protectors in the shape of metallic toe clips. Allsuch prlor devices, however, were unsightly, were ineificient n use, didnot wear long, and necessarily weakened the parts to which they wereapplied, and when the shoe had been worn for a short time, suchprotectors frequently dropped out. a

My present inventionis designed to, ob viate the difiiculties brieflynoted above, and furthermore to provide a protecting or wearresistingelement which will be concealed within the shoe, which will be builtinto the shoe sole during the process of manufacture, and which willactually strengthen and solidify the part to which it is attached orapplied. I believe that the provision of a boot or shoe, with aconcealed protecting element, and that the method of manufacturing sucha boot or shoe, which consists in applying and concealingthe wearresisting, protecting element, are distinct novelties in the art of shoemanufacture, and I therefore wlsh to claim the same broadly.

My present invention is intended primar ly to strengthen and protect thetoe portion of a shoe, although it is not limited to such location, andcould be equally well applied to and concealed in any other portion ofthe sole, or underneath the toplift of the heel. My invention isfurthemore suitable for use in the manufacture of either welt of McKayshoes and can be applied to turn shoes if desired. In carrying out mylnvention, I prepare a wear-resisting protecting element, preferably ofmetal, with a plurality of prongs thereto, and if the protector 18 to beapplied to the toe of the shoe, as herein shown, and as primarilydesigned, the contour of the protector would be substantially like thatof the toe of the shoe to which it is to be applied. In the manufactureof both welt and McKay shoes it s customary to form a channelin thebottom of the sole, to receive the outsole stitchmg in welt shoes andthe through and through stitching in McKay shoes, the stitching beingthereafter covered by laying and cementing the channel lip which hasbeen formed therefor. In welt shoes if, desired to apply my invention, achannel could be cut around the toe portion a short distance, justsufficient to receive the length of the protector to beemployed. Withthis chan nel then ready for cementing and laying, I apply my protectortherein, adapting it to fit snugly within the inner recesses of thechannel thus formed, directly over the sewing if the latter is appliedentirely around the toe, or I can even dispense with the sewing at theextreme toe portion and clench one or more nails therein, this beingpreferably in McKay construction, so that the stitching will stop shortof the toe and approximately at the points on each side where theprotector will extend. Thus the protector can take up the room and spacenormally occupied by the line of stitching, the

small nails used at the toe being driven well into the mass of theleather at the toe portion, rendering the bottom surface smooth andconcealing the protector entirely from view, at the same timecompressing and solidifying the leather and actually adding considerableincreased strength to the toe portion of the shoe. This is particularlyof value in the manufacture of pointed toe shoes, the narrow or pointedtoe being necessarily somewhat weak. Furthermore, my concealed protectoris the only feasible wear resisting element which could be applied,satisfactorily, to ladies shoes, wherein appearance is of the greatestimportance. Also any fine grade shoes would not be acceptable to thepurchasing public with a visible protector at the toe, or at any otherportion exceptingonly at the heel.

I have found that in wear resisting capabilities my invention is ofgreat importance and thesame being preferably built into the shoe duringthe process of manufacture, and subjected to the relatively heavypressures of the sole laying or similar machines, can be quickly andreadily incorporated into the shoe, substantially without expense, andin so effectual a manner as to be entirely invis i ble, whilenevertheless performing its toeprotecting, wear-resisting, strengtheningqualities.

Referring to the drawings, illustrating a preferred embodiment of theinvention,

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view of a Mc- Kay shoe showing the toe portionwith the channel lip or fiap turned upwardly;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the preferred type of protector employedat the toe Fig. 3 is a fragmentary portion of the toe of shoe completed,with the protector illustrated in dotted lines; and

Fig. at is a modification illustrating a welt shoe construction.

Referring to the drawings, wherein I have illustrated a McKay type ofshoe, the outsole 1 has the channel lip or flap 2 cut therein, usuallyleaving a slight rim or ridge 3 to aid in protecting the edge of theflap when turned downwardly and cemented in position, thus leaving therecess a in which the stitching '5 is set, being here shown as throughand through stitching in a McKay shoe. I prefer to start the stitchingat either side a slight distance back from the toe, as indicated at 6,6, nailing the extreme toe portion and then fitting over the toe portionmy protector 10. It will be appreciated that the cutting of the lip 2 isusually made with a slight groove recessed at the bottom of the cut inwhich the stitching will lie, this groove being taken out so that thestitching willnot bulge, such groove running around the toe portion andin which the protector 10 will fit'snugly. The protector 10 has aplurality of prongs 11 and 12 at each end and 13, at the middle portion.A slight blow of the hammer by the operator will afiiX and hold theprotector 10 in position, which is applied before the channel flap 2 iscemented and turned downwardly, the subsequent operations of turningdown the channel flap, sole laying and leveling, resulting in firmlyembedding the protector 10 into the material of the sole, thus beatingand solidifying the leather there-around and effectually compressing andhardening the sole leather at this point, the completed shoe entirelyconcealing the protector 10, as illustrated in Fig. 3. Thus a wearresisting protecting member is applied to the toe of a shoe by myinvention, strengthening and reinforcing the toe part, performing itsprotecting functions and being readily incorporated therein during theprocess of manufacture, at a minimum of expense and cost.

In applying the protector to a welt shoe, wherein it is necessary toapply the outsole stitching entirely around the toe, through the weltand outsole, and wherein the channel cut is not as far from the edge asin a. McKay shoe, I would cut back the channel somewhat deeper at thetoe portion. I have illustrated this feature in Fig. 4-, wherein thechannel flap 15 is cut back an extra distance, as clearly shown, theoutsole stitching 16 extending in the usual manner around the toe andwith my protector 10 applied within the line of stitching.

In a turn shoe if the protector is to be applied, a special channel iscut around the toe portion from the outsole, the protector applied andthen the channel flap cemented and laid.

lVhile I prefer to embody the protector during the process of making theshoe, it is, of course, possible to apply the same as a separateoperation after the shoe is made, either turning back the channel flap,and fitting in the protector, or cutting a special recess therefor. Ineach and all instances the protector is concealed from view, and yet inposition to perform its functions, thereby carrying out my invention.

It will be understood also that a greater plurality of retaining prongsthan those illustrated can be utilized, or other retaining means, theimportant characteristics of my invention consisting in the feature ofutilizing a wear-resisting protector which is concealed within the shoesole, and whether applied at the toe, heel or other portion.Furthermore, with my protecting element applied to the shoe, thesubsequent operations of edge finishing and inking, sole bulling,staining, polishing and the various finishing operations, are performedupon the shoe sole without any interference from the protector, thelatter being entirely concealed within the normal confines of the shoesole.

No special machines or other devices are required and the entireoperation and method of manufacturing are simple, efficient and readilycarried out.

My invention is further described and defined in the form of claims asfollows:

1. A boot or shoe, having a Wear-resisting protecting element fittedwithin the channel formed in the outsole at the toe portion, andconcealed and covered by the channel flap.

2. A McKay shoe, having a channel flap formed in the outsole, throughand through stitching applied therethrough, along the sides and shank,to a short dlstance of the toe, clenching nails applied around the toe,and a wear-resisting element fitted to the toe portion and extendingsubstantially from the ending of the stitching on one side of the shoeto the other, said protector being concealed by the laying of thechannel flap.

3. The process of making boots and shoes having a protecting elementtherein, which consists in assembling and constructing the shoe in theusual manner, forming a channel flap around the portion to receive theprotector, fitting the protector therein, cementing and laying thechannel flap over the protector, and completing the shoe, whereby theprotector is firmly embedded in the part to which it is applied and isconcealed from View.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

EMIL WEIL.

